Blessed Without a Curse
by cabyerswriter
Summary: What if there was never a curse?


It was late in the evening when the moon finally reappeared. The clouds parted, allowing the moon to cast its light down upon the ocean below. Regina could finally see the water, see just how high up from it they really were. Though she had never been afraid of heights, she still didn't want the entire pirate ship to come crashing down into the ocean. Her hands gripped the railing of the Jolly Roger as she glanced up at the sails above. There was hardly a breeze yet they still pushed the ship forward. A faint glow emanated from the thick cloth, a product of Regina's magic.

"Looks like they're holding well enough," a thick voice said from behind her. Regina's lips pursed together as she turned around. It was the pirate, the captain of the ship. The one missing a hand.

"I told you that it would work."

"Yes, you did. But pardon me for not always trustin' someone who can use magic, love."

"It was the only way off of that island," Regina replied sharply. "You should be thanking me, pirate."

"**Captain**."

"I couldn't care less if you were a cabin boy. Once we get back to Misthaven, we'll be off your ship. Myself and the boy." Regina's eyes flicked over to where the young man sat, wrapped up in a thick blanket against the main mast of the ship.

"What plans do you have for him?" the captain asked.

Regina's eyes narrowed a little in curiousity. Was the pirate concerned? Even if he was, she didn't really care. "I'm taking him to find his father." That would not be a hard task. Regina knew exactly who the boy's father was and where he might be residing.

The captain studied her for a moment before simply nodding his head and stepping back away from her. "When we get closer to land, you'll have to lower us down. Be ready." He turned and stepped away from her, moving towards the stern. Regina watched him walk away before she looked back to the boy.

The blanket was thick but he still shivered. Regina hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if she should approach him. The kid trusted her just about as much as the captain did. Without her, they all would have been stuck on that island. Regina quelled the anger that built inside of her as she walked over to him, sinking down on to her knees slowly to sit beside him. His eyes snapped open at her sudden presence. When she raised her hand, he flinched.

"Relax," Regina said softly, hoping to calm him with her voice. Her right hand softly glowed red for a brief moment before she brushed it over the blanket. The spell worked quickly, adding extra warmth to the blanket to keep him from being cold. Regina had used the same spell on herself before.

"Y...You can do magic, just like my father," the boy said softly, disapproval very apparent in his voice. "It's dangerous...he always said...that magic always comes with a price."

"Well, he wasn't lying. It can be dangerous," Regina explained, looking into the boy's eyes. "Only if you don't know how to use it properly."

"I don't want to find him. Magic destroyed him." He inched away as he spoke, staring back at her. "He let me go. I wanted to go somewhere with no more magic and he just **let** me go!"

"He's still your father...and regardless of how long you've been away from him, I can imagine...that he has missed you dearly," Regina said, concealing the sudden worry she suddenly felt inside. Not for the boy, but for herself.

Her words seemed to work for the moment. The thought that his father might miss him calmed the boy because despite his anger, the boy missed his father some as well. He relaxed back against the mast, pulling the blanket up to his chin. "Help me, then."

"Help you with what?"

"Help me find him...and then help me convince him to stop using magic."

The request surprised Regina. Helping this boy would go against her plans, but she felt like she could not say no to him when he looked at her with such vulnerability in his eyes.

"I will help how I can...but I can't promise anything." Regina reached out to gently place her hand on his shoulder. This time, the boy didn't flinch away.

"Do you have family to return to?" the boy asked after a few moments of silence.

Regina looked down at him, stoicly silent before nodding her head. "I do. My mother." The image of the last time she saw her mother was burned into her mind: the look of surprise, sadness and anger upon her face. The spell. Even the surprise that had been in Snow White's eyes.

Snow White. Regina grit her teeth together. This was all because of Snow White.

"Do you miss her? I bet she'll be happy to see you."

The boy's voice brought Regina back out of her sudden day dream. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "I'm sure that she will. My departure...was quite a surprise, to say the least. In fact, I think she could help us. Not just in finding your father, but perhaps in convincing him to stop using magic."

"You think so?"

The boy's sudden enthusiasm actually brought a smirk to Regina's lips. "I do. That, I can promise." She reached up and gently smoothed out his dark, tangled hair.

"Land! I see land!" called out a voice from above them, high up in the crow's nest. "Captain Hook!

Pirates all around scattered across the deck, manning their posts. Regina stood back up just as Captain Hook approached them from the stern.

"All right, witch. Your turn...bring us down safely and you have my word that we'll drop you off on dry land."

"Your word, the word of a pirate?" Regina asked, amused.

"Take it or leave it, love."

There was no other choice to make. They had worked together well enough so far. Once the ship was back on water it would not be long until she was on her way. Regina turned away from the captain and walked to the bow of the ship. Her boots thudded on the wooden floor as she took the steps and approached where the railings from either side of the ship met in a point at the front. Below her, she could see it all: the ocean, the land that was approaching ahead. Misthaven...the Enchanted Forest.

"I'm home," she said softly before her arms extended above her. The light in the sails began to fade as the ship slowly sank lower towards the ocean.


End file.
